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Following the Dressing Your Truth Program has been a lot of fun, and has given me a new insight into who I really am. Check out my review, my Type 1 before and after pictures, and how I profiled myself.
A couple of weeks ago, I introduced to you the Dressing Your Truth program, and why it caught my eye as a way to dress to look and feel better about yourself. If you aren’t familiar with it, you really should check out the explanation of the Energy Profiling System on their website that better explains the program and why it could change your life.
At first glance, it may appear to be merely a system for how to dress, or even a personality profiling system with a what-to-wear component, but it really is more than either of those.
What is the Dressing Your Truth Program?
The Dressing Your Truth program was developed by Carol Tuttle, author of the best selling book The Child Whisperer, based on her Energy Profiling system that evaluates everything from your facial features and personality traits to the way you move and the way you doodle (or don’t!). The idea is that there are 4 main energy movements that each person expresses and that each of us has a dominant expression which will be our main energy Type.
Dependent on your dominant energy Type, certain types of clothes, colors, makeup, and hairstyles will look best on you. A lot of the information can be found for free on the Dressing Your Truth website, but to really find out the specifics of the types of fabric, cuts, colors, and other information that will work best for you, you should take the Dressing Your Truth course. When you sign up for the course, they will send you style guides in the mail with a selection of colors that look best on each Type. On the back of the bigger style guides, you’ll find a mini cheat sheet that will remind you of the types of things to look for when shopping. They also send you pocket sized style guides that can be easily carried around with you in your wallet for easier shopping while you familiarize yourself with the best colors for you.
If you are interested in figuring out your dominant Type, you can check out the Dressing Your Truth Energy Profiling System that is now free on her website. If you need more help deciding your Type, she also has written a book, Dressing Your Truth, Discover Your Type of Beauty, that is often free in the Kindle version on Amazon and will give you more insight into understanding each of the Types. Another option is to buy her It’s Just My Nature book which she says gives the most comprehensive view of all 4 Types.
How I determined my Type of Beauty
Last time, I told you that I profiled myself as a Type 1 with a secondary Type 4℠.
To be honest, it took me a while to come to the realization, but a few things really tipped me on to knowing that I was a Type 1.
- I totally relate to all of the types, and could mostly see myself as being any of them. That’s actually a Type 1 characteristic! I did rule out Type 3℠ almost immediately, mostly due to the fact that I’ve never liked geometric shapes, and also because I have a hard time getting things done. If anything, despite my admiration for them, I have to admit that I often find Type 3 women intimidating.
- Type 1 women tend to be creative, and often have a hard time finishing projects. When working on my blog, I never run out of ideas, but have a hard time stopping to write them all up. I always have lots of projects started all over the house, and have a hard time commiting to just one thing. My hobbies? I love cooking, photography, stained glass, painting, jewelry making, DIY anything, hiking, playing the guitar,.. Well, you get my drift. My favorite activity changes by the minute. 🙂
- My facial features mostly fit the descriptions in the Energy Profiling System. I have circles around my eyes. I have a big forehead, so much so that my husband often likes to tease me about it; in a nice way, of course. 😉 My eyebrows are asymmetrical, with one being higher than the other. I have apple type cheeks when I smile, and a pretty big smile. I also often get told that I look younger than I am. I’ve even had people say I looked like an adolescent, or that I looked like one of the students when I was teaching a few years back. Ha!
- I have short, stubby, Type 1 hands; something that never came in handy for playing the piano or the guitar. It also kept me from fulfilling my dream of becoming a hand model. (OK, maybe that was never my dream, but I did always wish for longer, thinner fingers and longer nail beds.)
In the end, having small hands hasn’t been too bad. It’s what got me into playing the ukelele, something that I happen to love!
- I tend to walk with a bounce, and smile and laugh a lot when I’m talking to people. Ironically, I have a hard time laughing when people tell jokes, but naturally laugh a lot in normal conversation. I also love to use smiley faces and emojis!! 🙂 😉 I often find myself erasing many of them because I think it’s too much. (The Type 4 in me, perhaps?)
- I think my doodling is pretty characteristic of a Type 1. Here’s an example I found from when I was talking on the phone with someone:
- I like change and new experiences, and also like cheering people up if I can. I was even a cheerleader in high school and wore a pony tail high up on my head. 🙂
- I’m always looking for ways to make healthy food fun! That was the entire premise of the recipes on my blog. That doesn’t mean that I don’t have some “normal” recipes here, but my favorite type recipes are the ones where I can play and let my creativity shine through. Not many other healthy bloggers in the groups I’m in had that same need to put hearts and roses on their salads! Nor were they working hard to make healthier fortune cookies, marshmallow peeps, and magical, color changing food coloring. 😉
Dressing Your Truth Type 1 Characteristics:
- Bright
- Animated
- Fun
- Light
- Creative
- Bouncy
- Open minded
Dressing Your Truth Type 4 Characteristics:
- Precise
- Balanced
- Perfectionist
- Poised
- Calm
- Introverted
- Critical
The Type 1 and Type 3 energies are more extroverted, where the Type 2 and Type 4 energies are more introverted. Knowing that made me doubt if I was really a Type 1 woman.
Can a Dressing Your Truth Type 1 women be introverted?
Carol addresses the issue in her book, Dressing Your Truth, Discover Your Type of Beauty. She explains that the Type 1 energy is extroverted, generally moving outward before moving inward, and there is a difference between extraversion/introversion as personality traits vs. an expression of movement. Despite that, I still had a doubt. You see, every time I’ve taken a personality test, I always end up being classified as not just an introvert, but as a pretty extreme one.
When I was a kid, I remember that I took a kid’s test that measured extroversion vs. introversion, and ended up with a score that classified me as an extreme introvert. For some reason, at the time, that really bothered me. It bothered me so much that I even re-took the test rethinking most of my answers.
Do I like to do puzzles? Hmmmmm, maybe I don’t like puzzles as much as I thought. 🙂 (Yes, I tried to change as many answers as I could to get the results I wanted, but I still ended up being an introvert.)
Perhaps my inner rebellion has to do with the fact that I don’t really fit the idea of what most people think of when describing an introvert.
Most people think of introverts as being shy and withdrawn, and avoiding people at all cost.
On the other hand I loved going to parties, and talking to people. I love having a good time. Those are all traits that people normally attribute to extroverts.
Still, there is no doubt that I am an introvert.
I think what sets introverts (as a personality trait) apart is more about what gives us energy and what takes it away from us. I’ve gone to parties with extroverted friends, and while we both have a really great time, I’m usually exhausted afterwards and ready for some alone time, while my extroverted friends seemed to have a new boost in energy and are ready for more!
Outgoing extroverts: the Type 1 introverts
I think a lot of us introverts are outgoing introverts who are often mistaken for extroverts. We likely hate small talk, and don’t like talking to people who don’t interest us, but when you get us in the right situation, it’s hard to shut us up. 🙂 Our faces light up when we talk about what we like to whom we like, and we may not be the life of the party, but we definitely bring a lightness to things.
Have you profiled yourself correctly?
So, the more I thought about all of those things, the more I realized that I’m pretty sure I profiled myself right. Ever since I’ve been wearing Type 1 clothes and makeup, I’ve felt more like myself. I feel lighter and happier. If you try wearing the right clothes for your Type of Beauty, and feel uncomfortable or even like you’re living a lie, there is a good chance that you may have profiled yourself incorrectly!
How did I decide my secondary Type?
The Type 4 energy seems to conflict with the Type 1 energy, but it appears to be quite common to have one be your primary and the other your secondary energy. I like to think of it as the little angel and the little happy, mischievous devil playing around in my mind. 😉
I was actually a very well behaved kid. I don’t remember people telling me to behave or calm down. I’ve actually been told many times that I’m poised, a Type 4 characteristic, even though I have an animated quality and a bounce in my step. This depends a lot on my environment. I even won the “most poised” trophy in the one beauty pageant I participated in as a kid!
I think that growing up, I pushed myself to be calm and poised in an effort to make my family happy. I wanted to be a good girl, so I tried not to fidget and tried to behave. I often couldn’t sleep at night after having said or done something “wrong,” so I would be very careful and precise when talking with grownups. I also ended up skipping 1st grade, and was almost 2 years younger than some of the kids in my class because my birthday already put me as one of the younger kids. I think I got teased as being different for being so young, so I worked especially hard to be more “grown up” and less “infantile.”
For awhile, I thought that maybe I was a primary Type 4 with a Type 1 secondary energy, but something about that didn’t feel right to me. My husband, a Type 4 who admittedly thinks the whole classification system is “stupid” (a Type 4 characteristic in itself), laughed that I would even consider myself as a Type 4. I have a very unorganized organization system, at least to his structured perspective, and am nowhere near as focused as he is. He doesn’t have my same need for keeping things light and fun, either, and is very practical and responsible. (Much more so than I am!)
This video about honoring the Type 1/4 or Type 4/1 energy really confirmed things for me. I could truly relate to both Jaleah and Kalista!
My Dressing Your Truth Type 1 Before and After photos
It took me awhile to get my after picture taken because it didn’t stop raining here until this week finally. The weather has been so crazy that it even snowed here, enough to keep snow on the ground, something that hasn’t happened since 1983! My son and I were even able to build a snowman! Fun, right?!?!? 🙂
I didn’t really have enough light coming into my bedroom, the only room in the house big enough to get the camera far enough away from me to get a picture taken, to actually take the picture!
I have to admit that I had to take a dress from my summer wardrobe and winter it up to get an after. I haven’t had a chance to get out and buy many new Type 1 clothes yet. I have managed to clear out a bunch of so-so black clothes that I didn’t love to make room for new, fun, Type 1 clothes. I set aside the few black and gray items that I didn’t clear out of my closet, and I’ve been trying to mostly dress true to my type lately.
And, no, I didn’t just suddenly get a tan. The difference in lighting has to do with the weather outside. These pictures were taken in winter with around 2 weeks between them.
I’ve brought my old pink boots out of the back of the closet, and I’ve been letting my hair do its (naturally curly) thing! I did add a few highlights to my hair, and “pruned” it out a bit to let more of the curls come through. I’m considering going a bit shorter to fit the Type 1 energy more.
How do I feel after several weeks of mostly Dressing My Truth?
I feel so much lighter and brighter when I’m out and about. I even sort of imagine myself with light bouncing off of me when I see other people. I notice them in their dark, black outfits, and just want to try to lighten up their day. I’ve noticed the bounce in my step, and rather than try to tone it down, I embrace it and let my fun energy shine through. I’m no longer that little girl who has to behave like a grown up. I am a grown up, and can now focus on having fun and being me!
I also find myself walking around trying to profile other people. Ha!
While I’m definitely not an expert in profiling, some people just look so obvious to me. 🙂 I just want to go running around telling people, you should be wearing more of this or that!
I also complimented the obviously Type 4, poised waitress who looked super sharp in her slicked back hair, stark white, well ironed shirt, and bright pink lipstick. She just struck me as totally Dressing Her Truth, and totally wanted to tell her that without looking like a nutjob! 🙂
I’ll leave you with these other before and after pictures from my blog. (Although they aren’t actually “before” and “after”; let me explain…)
The first picture was my intro picture in the sidebar of my blog up until last summer. I look like I’m dressed more like a Type 4 in that picture. I’ve always dressed more like that, and worn my hair straighter, maybe in an effort to be taken more seriously. The second picture was taken by a friend at a birthday party on the beach. I wasn’t really wearing makeup, but was looking more relaxed and felt more “like me.” I wasn’t trying to be anybody else that day, and intuitively picked that dress. Once I saw her picture, I immediately switched the picture on my blog because I felt like it depicted who I was so much better!
In the first picture I look so cold and serious looking, it just doesn’t depict who I am. So, you see, even before I knew anything about Dressing Your Truth, my own instincts were telling me something was up.
Have I convinced you to at least take a look at the Energy Profiling System?
I’d love to hear your comments, and how it goes for you!
Paleo Granola Bars Recipe (Crunchy Energy Nut Bars)
Jo
????Just wanted to pop in and say that this post was just what I needed as confirmation on my own journey to Dressing (discovering) My Truth!!! Thanks so much from a “meek” type 1 ????
Tracy Ariza
Yay, Jo! I’m so happy to have helped.
Incidentally, my middle name is Jo. My mom gave me that middle name after her favorite character in Little Women. 🙂 It was actually quite fitting of me- and if we are alike in our DYT journey, perhaps that means it is quite fitting of you too.
Denise
Hi Tracey. Just stumbled across this article of yours. I’m wondering how your dressing your truth journey is going now. After 2 years of watching every dyt video I’m definitley a 1/4 myself. I was interested to see yours and the comments as I feel like everything said is so familiar to me. Your colouring and face shape is really similar to mine too. I met Carol personally about a year ago and she confirmed the 1/4 . I still didnt believe it for quite a while . It’s hard to find info on the 1/4 dressing style and it’s definitely a tricky one. Fun but classic. How does one even do that ? I’ve muddled my way to a place of figuring it out though. As long as I keep the balance right in my dressing I feel great. I feel like I can’t do too much one or too much 4 for too long though. Like something’s off balance unless I do both. I will probably eventually do carols course and see from there. Thanks for your post. And your pic even confirms it as you look quite similar to me.
Tracy Ariza
Hi Denise,
I’ve lost a lot of weight since I wrote this, so I had a great opportunity and excuse to buy new clothes! 🙂
It has definitely helped me buy a lot of clothes that fit my type.
I find myself leaning towards the colors that sort of overlap between Type 1 and 4.
I’ve definitely ditched my black clothes. In fact, I bought a black dress the other day on sale for around 5 Euros because I really liked the style of the dress, and thought the fun, random pattern of white polka dots would be enough to make it Type 1-ish for me.
In the end, I feel like I look old when I have black next to my face, even when it’s a fun piece. It’s crazy I never noticed that before.
My base color has become navy. I LOVE navy blue, and my basic pants, skirts, etc. are navy blue based. (That just happens to be a color that works pretty well for both 1s and 4s).
I find that I’m drawn to patterns that work well for 4s- so I find myself buying lots of stripes, patterns, and contrasting prints. I lean towards more contrast than a Type 1/2 would probably go for.
I still think I have a lot of 4 in me, and have added some fun gold jewelry, but most of mine is still silver (most of my jewelry was sterling silver so I’m not ready to ditch it), but with lots of color. I think I can pull both off pretty well.
Perhaps I should do a new post with some of my 1/4 looks.
I got a dress I really loved this summer in a light, bio cotton. It was white with a light navy pattern, and I paired it with cherry red accessories- a red belt, shoes, etc.
I think I add more splashes of color now, and have a lot more confidence to add patterns and prints. (I lived in boring colored solids until now.)
I hope that helps…
Soon I’ll be writing about my weight loss journey, and will probably at that point in time show how my wardrobe has changed too.
We’re in the middle of a kitchen remodel right now, though, so I’ve been a bit more absent on the blog than usual, and haven’t had time to think about how I want to present it all. 😉
Jean DeSavage
Tracy, I don’t know if you will actually see this or not since it’s been so long since you posted it. I found a link on Pinterest to your blog. The type 1/4 info is what drew me to click on the link. I’m glad I did. I was struggling to figure out if I was a 4/1 or a 1/4 and you definitely helped me see I am definitely a One!
Like you I was waffling between three different types. I KNEW I was NOT a type two, I can’t stand the color gray and look terrible in it. I am really drawn to the type 3 clothing and that’s what I thought I might be, but after trying some of the stuff, boohoo, it was not to be. I found the “dirty” colors just didn’t say me. But the light bright and true hues of the type 1 and type 4 groups are truly me.
Thank you for clearly showing how you figured your type out.
Tracy Ariza
Hi Jean,
Yes, I continue to read all comments!
I’m so happy that I could help in a way.
I still have days that I feel more type 4, but I’ve found that I no longer like the way I feel in black, and I have made a lot of changes. I do still hover towards the brighter tints, the ones closer to type 4 colors, but overall I like how I now feel a lot freer to wear more color in general. I do feel lighter.
I need to do an update. My wardrobe has changed a lot in the last months- as has the way I feel in general! 🙂
Ali
Love this article and your response here. I relate to it all, this has really helped clear up some things for me that I wasn’t sure fit with a 1. I am 1/4 also and am happy to finally be more confident with all the colors I have always longed to wear. And I seriously cannot wear black anymore – it’s such a drag. Thanks for sharing all this ❤️
Tracy Ariza
Hi Ali,
I’m so happy to be able to help in some way.
Yes, I know what you mean about black. I used to buy so much of it, and now I have a hard time with it. The other day I bought a black dress because it was on sale for 5 Euros and it had a random, fun pattern of white dots. I loved the cut of the dress and the way it fit me, and I’m still having a hard time wearing it. I’ve gotten so used to not seeing myself in black that even that dress just doesn’t feel right anymore.
I need to do an update soon because I seriously have completely changed my wardrobe since this post. (It helps that I’ve lost like 35 pounds, so I NEEDED new clothes! hahahahaha I’m really feeling a lot lighter in every sense of the word!)
Linda
And by the way, I love your chicken picture too, it’s just a different side of you, but still beautiful. I miss my chickies. LOL
Tracy Ariza
Thanks so much for your comments Linda!
Carol has since come out with a video talking about extroversion and introversion and the energy types. She made the video with her daughter who is a Type 2. Interestingly enough, she said her daughter tends to be more social at get togethers than she is (Carol is a Type 3). I just looked it up, and think it’s this video.
Months later, I’m fully embracing being a Type 1, but I do find myself being drawn to the darker colors that sort of overlap between Type 1 and Type 4. I’ve let my hair go curly, but I also cut it (just a little), and couldn’t get used to it. I’ve since let it grow. I feel like I need it longer to help me feel grounded.
I have bought a lot of clothes with patterns, though, something I never used to do. A lot of them are high contrast patterns that could be Type 4, but I also have fun with lighter, more fun and random patterns too. I should do an update post. I have much better after photos now. 🙂
The hen in the picture is the one hen that I lost, and she happened to be my favorite. 🙁
I miss her too. I definitely relate to my Type 4, but I’ve been allowing myself to have a lot more fun. Hopefully you’ll be able to do the same!
Linda
Thank you. I’m just starting this energy typing stuff. Reading the Type 1 description made me cry, because I knew that’s what I WAS before life beat me down, before I was shamed for being myself. But then I was shocked and puzzled, because I’ve always thought of myself as an introvert, wanting to be in the background. So my Public Self is Type 4… but I’ve always felt I was pretending! I have a LONG way to go, but you gave me permission to be an introvert, even if my energy is Type 1. SO much to learn. 😉
Michele
Thank you for sharing your comments. I’ve been struggling with exactly the issues you mention. I was a quiet, well-behaved kid growing up. I socialise well when I need to but find it exhausting, although I love teaching. My 11 year old son recently told me I’m like a 10 year old! He apparently meant because I was positive and cheerful and could laugh at myself and have fun. I never thought of myself as ‘fun’, I often describe myself as the most boring person in the world. I’m more likely to be at home with a book – having said that though, I tend to prefer escapist fiction; romances, fantasy. I think I’m actually role playing in my head…
Tracy Ariza
Ha, yes!
That’s really interesting.
Since I wrote this post, I’ve overhauled my whole wardrobe, and it is a lot more Type 1. I’m fully embracing it, and have a lot more fun with my clothes. I never used to wear very many patterns, always having stuck to solids, but I’ve been buying a lot more of them too.
I will say that I do have a lot of new clothes in the “overlap colors,” the ones that are the most saturated Type 1 colors and that are pretty close, if not the same as, the Type 4 colors. I also find that I like stripes and symmetric patterns with a lot of contrast, the types of patterns that go with Type 4’s.
I think the best way to go about it is to try dressing one way or another to try it out and see how you feel. I feel light and happy in light yellow, light pink, and light turquoise. There are days I’m more drawn to those colors, and days when I’m happier in navy and white stripes (which really works for both Type 1 and Type 4).
I’m pretty sure I typed myself right, though, and feel very at home with Type 1’s. 🙂
I know what you mean about being boring and fun at the same time, though. I think I’m the same way. We have a lot of routine in our life. I used to try more new things and would drive home a different way each day just to have change in my life. Being with a Type 4 husband, we have a lot of routines. I stay at home most days blogging, and don’t get out a lot. From the outside, I probably look boring, but at the same time, I’m constantly trying out new things. I love making new recipes, doing new projects, and rarely get bored. Instead, I’m always running out of time.
Good luck in determining your type. There are unofficial Type 1 Facebook groups that may also be of help. I’m in one with a lot of “fun” people. 😉
Carla Cram
Wow, I love these photos. It really shows that Type 1 suits you!
Tracy Ariza
Thanks, Carla!
As more time has gone by, I can really feel the Type 1 vibe even more. 🙂
I’ll have to post more photos and share more about it soon.
Laurel
Hi! I too am a red gaired type 1/4 and it took ne over 3 years to figure it out! The type 1 adaptability along with the type 4 researching and analyzing created a sutuation of constant questioning. Maybe our type 1 and type 4 are almost equal whuch can also cause us to doubt which one leads. I think the colors cross over a bit and in other systems, a 1/4 is bright spring which can wear black.
Thank you again and keep writing!!
Laurel
Tracy Ariza
HiLaurel,
Love your name, by the way!
I think that’s very, very likely. I think as a kid I let my type 4 lead, but now that I’m an adult, when you’d think I’d rely more on my Type 4, I’m finally realizing that I probably lead with the Type 1. Interestingly enough, when I was a kid, I was typed as a winter in the seasonal system. I think it was mostly based on my olive colored skin, but I never felt quite right in the winter colors. By high school, though, I was typed again, this time as a spring, just like you said. 🙂
In the end, I don’t think black looks terrible on me, but it has to be worn in the right way for me to pull it off. I’m looking at the picture of me in the back on this page and just think “yuck!” 😉
Julie Perry
Hi Tracy and everyone!
From another member of the short, stubby fingers club, you look radiant in your type 1 photo, like you are glowing off the page! I am also a type 1/4. One of my daughters sees some “type 3 push” in me, (She is a 3) but I think that comes from the secondary 4 because I have never been as bold as any of my type 3 friends or relatives. (In fact, inwardly, I can feel intimidated, or run over by them sometimes, even though I would never say so!) I also don’t feel like the life of the party, or super extroverted, but do find it easy to chat with people.
Carol Tuttle says that we are always the same type, even in the womb! There seems to be some bouncing around between types of the commenters, which is classic type 1 behavior! Type 1s see so many possibilities, and are the most adaptable and susceptible to “losing themselves” around the other types.
They also have the most difficulty settling on their type! I think that 1/4s can sometimes have an inner battle going on between the types because they are so conflicting!
Thanks for your post and keep having fun with it!
Tracy Ariza
Ha, hi Julie! So happy to have you in my stubby fingers club! (Sorry!) hahaha
Interesting what you say about always being the same type, even in the womb. It kind of makes me have doubts again, although I’m pretty firm on the stance that I’m a Type 1. I just feel like I had a very Type 4 childhood. 😉 I was a pretty calm kid, and often was told I was very poised. I also remember thinking everything I didn’t like was “stupid” and got frustrated when things weren’t done how I wanted them done. That said, I have always loved “fun” stuff. I probably got into spirit week at our school, where we had things like crazy hair and hat day, etc., more than anybody else I knew. 🙂
I was pretty sure that I have very little Type 3 in me because I start so many projects and often lack the drive to finish them, but yesterday I saw a cartoon on the DYT Facebook page that made me laugh and see some Type 3 in me. It was something about a woman dying form trying to bring in like 100 grocery bags into the house all at once. Carol said she was a Type 3, just wanting to get stuff done.
Then it hit me that I often get those sorts of pushes to want to do everything at once just to get them over with.
I guess we all have a bit of all of the Types, which is why it’s so hard to type ourselves.
Kristy Liechty
Hi Tracy,
Thank you so much for posting your DYT journey. I just happen to stubble across your blog and really enjoyed reading your story and can so relate to so many things you have to say about being a 1/4 . I have been on this journey for 3 years now and have tried All types except T3 which I am doing now. Can relate to your introverted type 1 /4 story . I feel I am a higher movement than I have been living , but not sure about t3. I can have the push of a T3 when need be, but defiantly not the drive. They say 1/4 can act like a T3 and I believe that is what I do. Do you find that as a 1/4 that you can wear black and look good? I thought I had read somewhere that Carol said that, but I have read and watched so many DYT articles and videos it is hard to keep things straight. I will be turning 60 in March and would really like to get this figured out. Well now I am just rambling … I really wanted to tell you thank you for sharing your journey and I appreciate your blog and has given me hope and more food for thought. I look forward to reading more of your stories ❤️
Tracy Ariza
Hi Kristy!
Thanks for your comment. What you are saying is really interesting.
I really like a lot of the Type 3 colors, but I just don’t feel like I can relate to most of what Type 3 is. I don’t think I have the push nor the drive. hahahaha 😉
I have blogger friends who have identified themselves as Type 3, and they have so much more focus on making their blogs businesses, and are really good at getting what needs to get done done. On the other hand, I’m all about enjoying blogging and having “fun” with it, with a touch of Type 4 perfectionism that makes me take forever to get a post out.
I never saw the comment about a 1/4 being able to wear black. It’s hard to know because I’ve been wearing so much black for so many years that I obviously don’t think I look bad in it. 🙂 On the other hand, just switching from wearing a black vest over my clothes to a white one makes me feel lighter. I don’t know how to explain it.
It’s probably a lot due to the confidence of me feeling like I’m wearing a color that fits with my energy, so when I’m wearing it, I feel like I’m radiating light or something. I also feel like I have more of a bounce in my step. Black doesn’t give me that same feeling, but it’s likely all psychological. Since so many people wear black and really dark colors here in Spain, especially in the winter, perhaps I feel like I stand out and that’s why I feel like I radiate light. I’ve always been so happy to just blend in, but I’m enjoying the new feeling of “shining.” (Even if it is just all in my head.)
I think as we get older, our Type makes more of a difference. When younger, we can get away with so many more looks and colors.
I actually have a new question of my own since writing this post…
I’m wondering if our Type can change over a lifetime. Looking through my old pictures, my features used to be a lot more symmetrical, my brows were straight across (and are round now), and I had more of a square shape head whereas now it’s more heart shaped. My hair was straighter, and I was a very calm and focused kid. As I’ve gotten older, my features have become a lot more Type 1. I’m definitely more outgoing than I was as a kid, and my hair has gotten really curly and has a bit of a life of its own. I don’t know.
The whole idea of the Types is fascinating to me, in any case.
Now it’s me that’s rambling. I think that’s probably very Type 1, not to confuse you more. hahahaha
Susan
To answer your question, Carol has said that our type does NOT change over our lifetimes. 🙂
Tracy Ariza
Hi Susan,
Thanks! Yes, several people have told me she said that, and I’m still struggling with that answer. I feel like I was such a strong Type 4 as a kid (even in my features!), and now I just can’t imagine “trying to live” as a Type 4. 😉
Seeing as this isn’t really an exact science, I guess it is what it is. I still would have to type myself as a 1. I’ve been really enjoying the new clothes I keep adding to my closet, and am having a much easier time clearing out the stuff that just doesn’t fit. All of that said, I do tend to gravitate towards some of the darker Type 1 colors, the ones that are closer to Type 4 colors, but I feel a lot lighter as I add more of the light tints to my closet.
Lora
We are so similar!! We could be sisters. I thought I was a 1/4 for a long time but felt something was off – I kept second guessing. I have been thinking that I’m probably a type 2/1 because the type 1 energy and clothing were a bit too much for me. Now I’m second guessing again ? Thanks for your post – btw we have twin hands
Tracy Ariza
Ha- Yes, Lora!
I totally get the second guessing thing. I’m feeling pretty good in Type 1 clothes, though, so I’m pretty sure I’ve typed myself correctly.
Sometimes I think I couldn’t be any more “Type 1” than I am, and at other times I still doubt myself…a little bit.
Interestingly enough, I have a lot of Type 2 clothes in my wardrobe, but I feel a lot happier in the brighter versions of the same colors. I also do like soft, comfy clothes, but I feel like I look better in type 1 styles too. I think I’d be trying to be Type 2, and it would make me feel more depressed, rather than enjoying being a Type 1.
I think there is a video of a girl who thought she was Type 2, but was typed by Carol as a Type 1/4- or maybe I’m imagining that. I’ve watched so many by now that I can’t keep them straight. Ha! I guess the math works out to 1+4= almost 2. 🙂
Oh, and I’m sorry that you’ve had to endure a lifetime of hands like mine. hahahahaha 🙂